The present invention relates to yarn cutters for circular knitting machines, and more particularly to yarn cutters of the type having a toothed disc that is rotatable at the knitting end of a needle cylinder to engage yarn and cooperating with a stationary cutter blade to effect cutting of the yarn.
Conventional yarn cutters of the rotating disc type are normally used in circular knitting machines that have a drive mechanism for rotating components of the machine in addition to the needle cylinder and which mechanism is utilized for positively rotating the disc of the cutter independent of though synchronously with the needle cylinder. These are relatively complicated and expensive machines and require linkages to connect the drive to the disc. In simple less complicated machines no rotating disc type cutter has been utilized because of the absence of a rotary drive and the expense and complication of providing such a drive.
However, the present invention provides a rotary disc yarn cutting mechanism that does not require a rotary drive and can be utilized on simple machines that have no such drives without requiring provision of a drive. This is uniquely accomplished in the present invention by rotating the disc by direct engagement with the upper end of the needle cylinder and simply moving the disc from a non-rotating inoperative position into needle cylinder engagement for a yarn cutting operation.